Guest Post from Jungle Gary

1/23/12

I do not have the heart to blog about all we have suffered over the last two days. We have been whisked away from our comfortable digs in San Juan and were forced to stay in a nearby "Eco Resort" what with animals walking around, tropical birds chirping all morning, and a swimming pool way too large to enjoy all of. And the all you can eat buffets... so much work! So, in an attempt not to arouse pity from those at home, I have asked Dr. Gary Schmidt to write a guest post regarding his experiences with the adventuresome clinic team. I have read it, and though he disses the surgery team (out of sheer envy, I am sure), I will post it nonetheless.

On a serious note, I have been so blessed to hear their stories at the end of the day. As Gary details, one is limited in what he can do to treat illnesses, especially chronic ones, in such deplorable conditions, in such poverty, and with such limited infrastructure. At times, the only medicine to be offered is a listening ear and a caring touch. Such caring, touching can get exhausting. Jesus Himself even felt the power drain out of Him (John 5:30) when touched by a hopeless sufferer, He with unlimited power to heal. Yet God has sustained the clinic team through long days of both physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion, such that they seem to get stronger with each passing day rather than tiring. That said, they are enjoying R&R at the Eco-resort quite a bit. None of us deserve such a break (especially when so many have no reprieve from their poverty and illness), but we can be thankful for it and use it to prepare us for the work ahead.

So, to see how the other half lives...

"Have clinic will travel.

Unlike the hospital based team, the clinic team were not able to walk to their locations, did not have air conditioning, sleep in to 6:00, and did not just see 2-5 patients a day. Our team is composed of Katie Henry, Janet Schmidt RN, Abby Getz, an RN from Indiana, Lynne Pendse, a recreational therapist from North Carolina, Francis, and Deborah, two physicians from Bolivia, 3-4 MMI volunteers from Bolivia, and myself, Gary.

Our days have consisted of traveling between 30 minutes to two hours in a cab of a pick up truck or the back of an ambulance over roads that are in worst shape than any in the US. Going sometimes only 5-10 miles an hour for an hour, and driving from one side of the road to the other in an attempt to do the impossible, to dodge the pot holes, dogs, cows, chickens and pigs. On two days we actually had clinic settings to workout of, but most of the time it was a school house or another available building. Much of time my office was a table set up outside a building either on a porch or in the yard which was only dirt (which becomes mud when it rains), sometimes under a tree or mosquito netting (so much for confidentiality and HIPAA). There were dogs, cats, chickens, and lizards invading our space or were we invading theirs. Luckily the alligators and anacondas stayed in their on water holes.

We traveled to communities that consisted of between 4 to 25 families. Seeing anywhere from 70 to 105 patients at the 1-4 communities we went to that day. We got there and blew the siren on the ambulance or rang the gong on the porch to let people know that we were there. Our pharmacy consisted of 7 boxes on the back of the pickup truck or set up on the porch of the building which contained medications that had been donated to MMI by organizations such as Holy Family Memorial.

The medications were used to treat diseases as simple as colds, sores, and fungal infections to as complex as leprosy and Dengue. Treating hypertension and diabetes is complicated because we can give them the medications for a month or two, but after that they won't have access to or be able to afford any follow up. And to only test we are able to do other than their vital signs is a blood sugar. Diabetes is not common and most of the blood pressures are low normal.

Their life is very simple and they survive in a climate where now temperatures are 95 F and the humidity is in the 90's. Their poverty is very obvious with living conditions that we may consider dismal. But they are happy and very appreciative of the any help we are able to give them.

We come back to the hotel (not air conditioned), tired, dirty, sometimes muddy, smelling of sweat and DEET, but very thankful that God has allowed us to help His people as He has instructed us to "go to all the world".

Romans 8:28